"The Society of Our Lady of Penrhys"
A 9/10 day pilgrimage
Led by Fr Dean Atkins
I invite you to join us on the journey of a lifetime! There is much to see and do on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land but it is what happens to us whilst you are there that is the important thing: for we are not seeking out historical reconstruction, or simply playing out the stories of the Scriptures: through visiting the sites and landscape associated with the life and ministry of Jesus we will, through Word and Sacrament, grow closer to Jesus. We will have our faith renewed and revived, and we will view the gospels with new and insightful eyes. We will be challenged and changed and, in the meantime, enjoy good company!
For those of us who will journey from Wales, we travel from one hill country to another: amongst the many hilltop places (such as Tabor, the rolling hills of Galilee, the Mount of Temptation and the hilled city of Jerusalem) we will visit the site where Mary, carrying her unborn son and Saviour, visits Elizabeth and where those moving Magnificat words, so close to the heart of the Society of Our Lady of Penrhys, spill out: 'My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.' It will be quite a journey! All are welcome. Come, join us!
Fr Dean Atkins
Itinerary
Day 1, Friday 10 February
Travel To The Holy Land
We meet at London Heathrow Airport to join an evening flight to Tel Aviv. Dinner served in-flight.
Day 2, Saturday 11 February
Mount Tabor
We will be met on arrival by our guide and driven north to Galilee and our hotel on the shore of the lake. The morning will be free to relax. In the afternoon we begin our pilgrimage with Mount Tabor, at the Basilica which commemorates the Transfiguration, where we will celebrate the Eucharist and reflect on the biblical texts. We will return to Tiberias and our hotel for dinner and overnight stay.p>
Day 3, Sunday 12 February
JESUS’ LAKESIDE MINISTRIES
After breakfast we leave our hotel by boat and sail on the Sea of Galilee. We will then drive to the summit of the Mount of Beatitudes, where we will listen to the teachings of Jesus, and celebrate the Eucharist in the open air overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the places where Jesus lived and worked. We then return to the lakeside to visit the Church of the Loaves and Fishes and the Church of the Primacy at Tabgha before breaking for lunch. In the afternoon we drive to Capernaum the centre of Jesus' Galilean ministry to visit this well excavated site. View the House of Peter and the remains of a 4c. Synagogue and foundations of an earlier Synagogue that dates back to the time of Jesus. We then return to our hotel via the site of Beth Saida. Dinner and overnight stay by Galilee.
Day 4, Monday 13 February
CANA & NAZARETH
This morning begins with a visit to Cana, the site of Jesus' first sign - the changing of Water into Wine at the Wedding Feast, before continuing to Nazareth and the Church of the Annunciation, where we will celebrate the Eucharist We will spend the morning in Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up, visiting the synagogue-church, market and the church over the well. We will celebrate the Eucharist After a break for lunch we return to the Sea of Galilee to the place where the Jordan River leaves the Sea of Galilee, Yardenit, and where there will be the opportunity to renew our Baptismal vows. We then return to our lakeside hotel to view the Ancient boat (from the time of Jesus) and film about its preservation. Dinner and overnight by the Sea of Galilee.
Day 5, Tuesday 14 February
JOURNEY UP TO JERUSALEM
This morning we leave the rolling hills of Galilee for Jerusalem. We drive southalong the Mediterranean coast (Via Maris) and visit the ancient Roman and Crusader city of Caesarea Maritima. It was here that Peter baptised the first Gentile, Cornelius the Centurion and where Paul was imprisoned before been sent to his trial in Rome. Visit the city’s fortifications and theatre which has been carefully reconstructed and is used for grand concerts today. Leaving Caesarea we proceed up through the hills of Jerusalem to the Holy City. If time permits we will drive around the walls of the city and proceed up Mount Scopus for a view of the Old City at Sunset, before proceeding to our hotel within the Old City. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 6, Wednesday 15 February
BETHANY, MT OF OLIVES & MT ZION
After breakfast we drive to Bethany, the home of Jesus’ friends Mary and Martha to visit the church and the tomb of Lazarus. We then drive around the 9-metre high separation wall to the summit of the Mount of Olives, to begin our walk down the Mount of Olives. We start with the Church of Dominus Flevit then walk down to the Basilica of the Agony at Gethsemane. After a break for lunch we drive up to Mount Zion to visit Saint Peter in Gallicantu and the Room of the Last Supper. We then finally drive to Yad Vashem to visit the Holocaust Museum and Memorial park before returning to our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 7, Thursday 16 February
THE OLD WALLED CITY
We enter the walled city by the magnificent Damascus Gate and walk to the Western Wall of the second Temple. If permitted we will ascend the Temple Mount to visit the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque. We will then visit the Crusader Church of St Anne over the Pool of Bethesda. We then continue to the Convent of the Sisters of the Zion built on the foundations of the Roman fort where Jesus was condemned by Pilate. We will celebrate the Eucharist here and open the Scriptures in the place where it happened, before we follow the Way of the Cross along the narrow streets of the Via Dolorosa to Calvary enshrined within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The rest of the afternoon will be free to explore the Old City. Dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.
Day 8, Friday 17 February
BETHLEHEM & EIN KAREM
This morning we leave our hotel for the short drive to Bethlehem and proceed through the vast separation wall into Bethlehem. We will visit the Basilica of the Nativity, the oldest church in Christendom and the Shepherds Fields. We will spend the rest of the morning meeting with some of the local Christian community leaders and various projects. After a break for lunch we leave Bethlehem and drive to the peaceful village of Ein Karem, the home of Zachariah and Elizabeth and birthplace of John the Baptist. Here we can visit the two churched, the Church of the Visitation, and the Church of the Nativity of St John the Baptist which houses Elizabeth’s altar. We will spend the afternoon in Ein Karem and bring the day to a close with a celebration of the Eucharist, before returning to Jerusalem and our hotel. Dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.
Day 9, Saturday 18 February
JERICHO & THE JUDEAN WILDERNESS
This morning we leave Jerusalem and drive down through the Judean hills of the to the desert oasis of Jericho, situated at over 850 feet below sea level and is the oldest inhabited town in the world. Here we will view the traditional Sycamore tree and view the Mount of Temptation which overlooks this green and fertile oasis. We then continue to Qumran to view the recently excavated Essene monastery where the Dead Sea scrolls were found and probably where the scrolls originated. We will break for lunch and the opportunity to bathe in the unique mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea. Late afternoon we return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 10, Sunday 19 February
EMMAUS & OUR JOURNEY HOME
We leave Jerusalem after a leisurely breakfast to visit Abu Gosh, the possible site of Emmaus to celebrate a final Eucharist and to open the Scriptures in the place where it happened. After our final act of worship we have an early lunch before proceeding to Tel Aviv Airport and our return afternoon flight to London.
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